COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Silver Linings Recovery Center has opened its second sober living space in Central Colorado Springs, providing free housing and support for 30 men transitioning from homelessness, conviction, and addiction.
The new facility, Complete Recovery Systems, offers beds, showers, and a full-size kitchen to help residents grow on their sobriety journey.
"Away from drugs, away from fighting, away from abuse, away from theft, away from violence," Adam Alexander said, "Create an environment that is now normalized to being a productive member of society as opposed to being normalized as a drug addict or a convict," Adam Alexander said.
Alexander is the owner and director of Silver Linings Recovery and Complete Recovery Systems. News5 visited the organization's first sober living facility in January, and Alexander said it is full steam ahead with this new space.
Michael Miller, a resident who lived on the streets for 15 years, recently moved into the new facility. He and others who live there get to do so free of charge. As long as they remain sober and continue pursuing their goals.
"A baby has to crawl before it walks, and I believe right now that's where I'm at. I'm in a crawling stage with six and a half months sober," Miller said.
Miller said the facility provides a much-needed sense of community and stability.
"They've got me in a routine now where I get up and I make my bed. For so long I didn't have a bed. I got up and I made my bed this morning with crisp sheets," Miller said.
He tells News5 his goal is to get a drivers license and find a job in the next few months. And with the help of counselors, clinicians, and others at Silver Linings Recovery Center, he says he will get there. But at first glance when arriving to the facility Wednesday?
"I wanted to be fast, like what's around the next corner, you know, like a kid at Christmas, that's how I felt too with the sheets, opening the sheets up. Even though I had never really had that, but now I got a sense of feeling it yesterday and it was a nice feeling," Miller said.
He said he has never slept so soundly than he did on his first night at Complete Recovery Systems.
"That's the best first night. I'll never forget it, you know, because I slept straight through. That's how comfortable and peaceful that I slept last night," Miller said.
Malachi Cisneros, the house manager, emphasized the importance of having a space to support others who used to be homeless so they can stay on the right path. He is four months sober and said he is excited to continue on this path for his daughter.
"We all kind of are able to have a safe space, open up and really start to understand our emotions. To be able to look back at our life of being an addict. Trying to do it by yourself is very hard and I say that from a personal standpoint having guys around you that you may never know what they've been through," Cisneros said.
Alexander said the men moving in are making a conscious choice to change their lives. Most are coming from the first opened Complete Recovery Systems on North Nevada Avenue.
"This is something that they chose to do. So as much as we can create resources, we can create a facility, we can create an opportunity, these strong-willed men that made the choice to say, 'I want to do something different with my life'. So we want to provide them the space to be able to do that," Alexander said.
He relates it back to his past, going through incarceration and addiction.
"If every time someone turned their back on me because they were right, I would have just given it up. Then I wouldn't be here today. And along the way, each time there's been somebody who said, well, you didn't earn it and you're not worth it, but I'm not going to turn my back on you," Alexander said.
The community can learn more about the programs offered by Silver Linings Recovery Center at the Stronger Together Summit on April 25 in Acacia Park. The event will feature food, vendors, a bounce castle, poetry readings, musicians, face painting, and recovery advocates. They are looking for vendors and more people who want to participate.
"There's even relationships in the recovery community that are tattered. A lot of people have worked together and then relationships failed. We invited all those people too, and they'll be there because they also recognize that we're stronger together, and it's not about me, it's not about you, it's not about our relationship, it's about this community and what we can do to save people's lives," Alexander said.
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